how to find spring constant with mass

\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. So, the spring will apply an equal and opposite load of -1N. Sure, you say. Hookes law describes the linear elastic deformation of materials only in the range in which the force and displacement are proportional. The force of a spring is calculated using Hookes law, named for Robert Hooke, the 17th-century British physicist who developed the formula in 1660, as he studied springs and elasticity. The law, while very useful in many elastic materials, called linear elastic or Hookean materials, doesnt apply to every situation and is technically an approximation. Use this information to find the spring constant (use g = 9.81 m/s as the acceleration of gravity). The spring constant, k, is representative of how stiff the spring is.Stiffer (more difficult to stretch) springs have higher spring constants. Weight is mass times the acceleration of gravity or W = mg where g is about 980 cm/sec2. As long as a spring stays within its elastic limit, you can say that F = kx.

\r\n

When a spring stays within its elastic limit and obeys Hookes law, the spring is called an ideal spring.

\r\n\r\n

How to find the spring constant (example problem)

\r\nSuppose that a group of car designers knocks on your door and asks whether you can help design a suspension system. Using Hookes law is the simplest approach to finding the value of the spring constant, and you can even obtain the data yourself through a simple setup where you hang a known mass (with the force of its weight given by F = mg) from a spring and record the extension of the spring. They inform you that the car will have a mass of 1,000 kilograms, and you have four shock absorbers, each 0.5 meters long, to work with. Check out, All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Spring force is the force required or exerted to compress or stretch a spring upon any object that is attached to it. \begin{aligned} k&=\frac{F}{x} \\ &= \frac{6\;\text{N}}{0.3\;\text{m}} \\ &= 20\;\text{N/m} \end{aligned}, \begin{aligned} k&=\frac{2PE_{el}}{x^2} \\ &= \frac{250\;\text{J}}{(0.5\;\text{m})^2} \\ &=\frac{100\;\text{J}}{0.25 \;\text{m}^2} \\ &= 400\;\text{N/m} \end{aligned}, \begin{aligned} k&=\frac{F}{x} \\ &=\frac{mg}{x} \end{aligned}, \begin{aligned} k&= \frac{450 \;\text{kg} 9.81 \;\text{m/s}^2}{0.1 \;\text{m}} \\ &= 44,145 \;\text{N/m} \end{aligned}, University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Hooke's Law, Georgia State University: HyperPhysics: Elasticity, Arizona State University: The Ideal Spring, The Engineering Toolbox: Stress, Strain and Young's Modulus, Georgia State University: HyperPhysics: Elastic Potential Energy. The natural frequency of a spring-mass system is found to be 2 Hz. Thinking about taking online physics classes? From here, K is determined using one of two equations. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. If the spring's load is in kg, convert it into N by multiplying it with gravitational acceleration 9.81 m/s 2. The good news its a simple law, describing a linear relationship and having the form of a basic straight-line equation. The load applies a force of 2N on the spring. In other words, if you pull on your length of spring and measure how much force it takes to stretch . Restoring force means that the action of the force is to return the spring to its equilibrium position. The car designers rush out, ecstatic, but you call after them, Dont forget, you need to at least double that if you actually want your car to be able to handle potholes.","description":"Any physicist knows that if an object applies a force to a spring, then the spring applies an equal and opposite force to the object. He has authored Dummies titles including Physics For Dummies and Physics Essentials For Dummies. Dr. Holzner received his PhD at Cornell.

","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8967"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33769,"title":"Physics","slug":"physics","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33769"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Understanding springs and their direction of force","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"How to find the spring constant (example problem)","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":208460,"title":"Physics I For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"physics-i-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["academics-the-arts","science","physics"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/208460"}},{"articleId":194225,"title":"How Does Nuclear Fusion Work? In other words, it describes how stiff a spring is and how much it will stretch or compress. k is the spring constant, in Newtons per meter (N/m),. Looking only at the magnitudes and therefore omitting the negative sign, you get\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTime to plug in the numbers:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe springs used in the shock absorbers must have spring constants of at least 4,900 newtons per meter. What does this mean the spring constant should be?\r\n\r\nIn order to figure out how to calculate the spring constant, we must remember what Hookes law says:\r\n\r\nF = kx\r\n\r\nNow, we need to rework the equation so that we are calculating for the missing metric, which is the spring constant, or k. The block of wood experiences a maximum speed of 25 m / s. Find the value of the spring constant. When a spring stays within its elastic limit and obeys Hookes law, the spring is called an ideal spring.

\r\n\r\n

How to find the spring constant (example problem)

\r\nSuppose that a group of car designers knocks on your door and asks whether you can help design a suspension system. Its spring force is reactive, which generates mechanical energy How much energy is represented by the spring constant. In short, the spring constant characterizes the elastic properties of the spring in question. The displacement of an object is a distance measurement . These last two limitations are completely unrealistic, but they help you avoid complications resulting from the force of gravity acting on the spring itself and energy loss to friction. Note: We don't need the minus sign in this case because we are only looking for the force to pull the spring. Finally, Hookes law assumes an ideal spring. Part of this definition is that the response of the spring is linear, but its also assumed to be massless and frictionless. How much water should be added to 300 ml of a 75% milk and water mixture so that it becomes a 45% milk and water mixture? What does this mean the spring constant should be? In Hookes law, the negative sign on the springs force means that the force exerted by the spring opposes the springs displacement. The Period of a Mass-Spring System calculator computes the period () of a mass-spring system based on the spring constant and the mass. The spring constant, k, is the gradient of the straight-line portion of the graph of F vs. x; in other words, force applied vs. displacement from the equilibrium position. The force exerted by a spring is called a restoring force; it always acts to restore the spring toward equilibrium. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n<\/p>

\n<\/p><\/div>"}, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/05\/Find-Spring-Constant-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Find-Spring-Constant-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/05\/Find-Spring-Constant-Step-8.jpg\/v4-728px-Find-Spring-Constant-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"